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Monday, June 19, 2006

The operation in Helmand province, which British commanders on Sunday hailed as a success so far, is going much faster than expected, with soldiers also using small arms fire and light artillery to tackle Taliban fighters.

Other hurdles, however, such as widespread poverty and a dependence on illegal opium production, will likely take much longer to overcome.[snip]

A recent spike in violence, however, with almost daily car bombings and attacks in parts of the country, has generated bad headlines back home in Britain, where some people worry this could be the beginning of another Iraq.

Butler, in contrast, was far more upbeat: "To me it is currently winnable. It won't be necessarily this year ... but it is certainly winnable and we are optimistic we will make a difference"